Second Temple Mikveh Found

February 1, 2012

The excavation revealed a square structure that has three walls treated with a thin layer of plaster that facilitated the storage of water. A channel used to drain water into the ritual bath was installed in a corner. In addition, a plaster floor and three stairs that descend from it were exposed.

Photo by IAA According to IAA excavation director, archaeologist Pablo Betzer, “This is the first time that any remains dating to the Second Temple Period have been exposed in this region. We knew from the Talmud and from non-Jewish sources that on this ridge, as in most of the Judean coastal plain, there was an extensive Jewish community 2,000 years ago that existed until the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. Yet despite the many surveys and excavations that have been carried out to date, no remains from this period have been discovered so far.”

The name of the Jewish settlement that the ritual bath belonged to has still not been determined.

Source: From an IAA press release